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Saudi Arabia Travel ban

Saudi Arabia lifts travel ban on UAE, Argentina and South Africa

The travel ban will be lifted at 11am on Wednesday, September 8

Two children injured and 14 houses damaged in Saudi’s Dammam in latest Houthi attacks

The kingdom’s defence forces intercepted and destroyed three ballistic missiles and three bomb-laden drones on Saturday

Saudi Arabia’s Edarat Group adopts IBM cloud satellite to accelerate digital transformation

IBM cloud Satellite will help enable Edarat Group to deliver secure cloud capabilities to its customers while addressing data protection local requirements

Saudi forces intercept drone attack targeting Abha international airport

Shrapnel was scattered in the vicinity of the airport, but there were no reports of injuries or damage

Cisco has collaborated with the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP), to develop the digital skills of 8,000 trainers in the fields of cybersecurity and programming via the Cisco Networking Academy (NetAcad). The Cisco NetAcad programme in Saudi Arabia has one of the highest female student participation rates in the world, at 32 per cent, a figure Cisco wants to keep expanding. Of the 8,000 participants being trained via Cisco and SAFCSP’s new initiative, through a combination of online and on-site courses, the duo will be training and upskilling more than 1,000 women. As part of the skills building agenda, Cisco will develop the competencies of SAFCSP’s trainers, looking to gain further expertise in digitisation and cybersecurity essentials, including Cisco DevNet and Python qualifications. The collaborative partnership will see Cisco and SAFCSP leverage their upskilling initiatives to enhance the digital capabilities of Tuwaiq Academy, Saudi Arabia's first advanced technology academy, and CyberHub, a platform for Saudi-based students interested in gaining cybersecurity skills, following a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in 2018 to develop cybersecurity and programming skills. SAFCSP established Tuwaiq Academy and CyberHub under the auspices of the Saudi Olympic Committee, which strives to build local professional capabilities in digital transformation – specifically in the fields of cybersecurity and programming. The programme is built on the pillars of inspiration, empowerment, and long-term sustainability, with the objective of having one programmer for every 100 Saudis by 2030. Commenting on the partnership, Salman Abdulghani Faqeeh, managing director, Saudi Arabia at Cisco said, “With a tech-savvy population and the national agenda putting investments in infrastructure and talent development at the forefront, Saudi Arabia is ensuring that digital transformation and upskilling remains a vital contributor towards the growth and success of several industries.”

Cisco partners with the Saudi cybersecurity institution to enhance digital skills in the kingdom

Cisco’s networking academy will now upskill 8,000 SAFCSP trainers, accelerating Saudi Arabia’s digitisation agenda

Saudi announces $1.2bn tech initiatives, including all-new LEAP and @Hack events

The country aims to improve the digital skills of 100,000 Saudi youngsters by 2030, with a focus on cybersecurity, programming, AI and gaming

Saudi Arabia airport

Saudi permits fully vaccinated expats to return from countries facing travel ban including UAE, India

Only expats who received two doses of the vaccine in Saudi Arabia before they departed for their home country will be permitted to return

Nexans opens office in Saudi Arabia to provide local on-ground support

In addition to Nexans hub in Dubai, this move increases its presence in the Middle East

Video: Massive fire on Makkah-Jeddah highway after tanker accident

The blaze did not cause any injuries and was brought under control on Tuesday morning

Saudi forces intercept armed drone from Yemen targeting civilians in Khamis Mushait

The incident took place on Sunday

Saudi approves Moderna vaccine for 12-17 age group

Saudi’s education ministry has said that students over the age of 12 will require to be vaccinated to be admitted back to school

Saudi says students who are not vaccinated will be considered absent

Students above the age of 12 will require to be vaccinated with both shots to return to schools

Saudi wealth fund buys a stake in Italian supercar maker Pagani

The Pagani family will keep full control of the company

Dubai’s Invygo raises $1.9m in pre-series A funding round

Invygo will build new partnerships with dealers and car rental companies, while also expanding its engineering talent

Saudi Arabia’s Sirar by STC blocks 14m catfishing emails during 2020

The kingdom ranks 37th among the countries most targeted by cyber-attacks

Saudi’s Mabaat secures SAR9m in seed funding round

Funds will be used to market and enhance the platform

Saudi Arabia to extend residency permits for expats stranded outside the kingdom

It will be extended automatically and at no additional cost

Asia’s Richest Men Prep for Battle as Adani Enters Ambani’s Turf

Aramco is in advanced talks on up to $25bn Reliance deal

A transaction would boost Aramco’s sales of crude to India

Ntechlab

NtechLab expands into GCC with its face recognition tool

The company has announced the opening of its Gulf representative office in Abu Dhabi

Acwa power solar panels

Aramco joins group building giant solar plant in Saudi Arabia

The plant will start producing power in second half of 2022

Agthia Group

Abu Dhabi’s Agthia seeks food deals in Egypt and Saudi Arabia

The group is pursuing a strategy to grow through acquisitions and investment in its food and beverage business

Saudi’s Red Sea Farms raises $16m pre-series A funding round

Initial investor group includes Aramco venture Wa’ed, the Future Investment Initiative Institute and KAUST from Saudi Arabia, as well as UAE-based Global Ventures

Saudi says children under 12 exempt from vaccination requirement for outdoor events

Children will need to be accompanied by fully vaccinated adults and must not show any influenza-like symptoms

Saudi Arabia Riyadh

Saudi Arabia issues highest-ever number of foreign investor licences in a single quarter

It issued 478 licenses in Q1 2021, a 36 per cent increase over the corresponding period last year

Saudi Arabia’s budget deficit narrows in second quarter on oil, taxes

Spending on health and social development rose 20 per cent

Riyadh tops Saudi Arabia’s residential market boom

Apartment values in Riyadh grew 7.6 per cent year on year in the second quarter

Saudi Aramco

Saudi Aramco reports $25.5bn net income in Q2 2021

Aramco’s gearing fell to 19.4 per cent from 23 per cent at the end of 2020

Dumat Al Jandal wind farm

Trials successful on Saudi Arabia’s first wind farm; connected to electricity grid

UAE’s Masdar has partnered on the construction of the 400MW Dumat Al Jandal facility

Umrah Saudi Arabia Grand Mosque

Saudi Arabia increases cap on number of Umrah pilgrims to 2 million per month

Foreign pilgrims who are fully vaccinated will be permitted to perform Umrah starting from August 9

Islamic Development Bank, Bloomberg LP launch financial education programme across 9 countries

Participating universities will be announced over the coming months